Published on 16 Oct 2023 on Zacks via Yahoo Finance

3 BlackRock Funds to Add to Your Portfolio

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) is a renowned leader in the financial industry. With $1.8 trillion in net inflows over the past five years, BlackRock has empowered over 35 million Americans to secure their financial futures and save for retirement. Operating in 30 countries with 70 offices, BlackRock's global reach offers investors diversified investment opportunities. Their range of mutual funds, managed by experienced professionals using data-driven strategies, caters to those seeking growth, income, and balanced portfolios. All these make it an attractive option for investment.

Investing in BlackRock Mutual Funds seems to be judicious as of now. Also, mutual funds, in general, diversify portfolios without several commission charges that are mainly associated with stock purchases and trim transaction costs (read more: Mutual Funds: Advantages, Disadvantages, and How They Make Investors Money).

We have, thus, chosen three BlackRock mutual funds that investors should buy now for the long term. These funds possess a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), have positive three-year and five-year annualized returns, minimum initial investments within $5000, and expense ratios considerably lower than the category average. So, these funds have provided comparatively strong performance along with lower fees.BlackRock Large Cap Focus Value Fund MDBAX seeks capital appreciation by investing in equity securities, which the advisors believe are undervalued and, therefore, represent the basic investment value. MDBAX advisors prefer to invest in foreign securities.Tony DeSpirito has been the lead manager of MDBAX since Nov 14, 2019. Most of the fund’s holdings were in companies like Wells Fargo & Co (3.3%), Laboratory Corp of America Holdings (3%) and Cognizant Technology Solutions (3%) as of Jun 30, 2023.MDBAX’s 3-year and 5-year annualized returns are 13.8% and 5.9%, respectively. Its net expense ratio is 0.83% compared to the category average of 0.94%. MDBAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1.To see how this fund performed compared to others in its category, and other 1 and 2 Ranked Mutual Funds, please click here.BlackRock Exchange Portfolio Fund STSEX fund invests in a diversified of common stocks or convertible securities, which its fund advisors consider as having growth potential at the time of purchase. STSEX advisors choose to invest mostly in mid and large-market capitalization companies.Phil Ruvinsky has been the lead manager of STSEX since Feb 1, 2020. Most of the fund’s holdings were in companies like Microsoft Corp (32.6%), Berkshire Hathaway Inc (11.6%) and General Dynamics Corp (7.6%) as of Jun 30, 2023.STSEX’s 3-year and 5-year annualized returns are 13.8% and 11.3%, respectively. Its net expense ratio is 0.62% compared to the category average of 0.84%. STSEX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1.BlackRock Mid-Cap Value Fund MDRFX invests most of its assets along with borrowings, if any, in a diversified portfolio of equity securities of mid-cap companies. MDRFX advisors prefer to invest in dividend-paying securities.Tony DeSpirito has been the lead manager of MDRFX since Jun11, 2017. Most of the fund’s holdings were in companies like Leidos Holdings, Inc. (2.4%), Cognizant Technology Solutions (2.3%) and Baxter International Inc (2.3%) as of Jul 31, 2023.MDRFX’s 3-year and 5-year annualized returns are 15.2% and 7.4%, respectively. Its net expense ratio is 0.99% compared to the category average of 1.01%. MDRFX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1.